NBA News 2013: Is Terrence Jones NBA Ready?

English: Patrick Patterson following a game against Clarion University (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The life of a rookie, even a first-round pick like Terrence Jones, can be a humbling and trying experience in today’s NBA. When the Houston Rockets drafted two more forwards this past June to add to the already packed stable of hybrid bigs on their roster, one of those picks – Jones – had to expect a battle to remain on the roster. More than two months into the 2012-13 NBA season, it’s been just that: a struggle to stay on the active roster and off the Rockets’ Developmental League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipors.

Even with fellow first round pick Royce White AWOL for the majority of the season, Jones has seen his fair share of D-League action over the course of two separate stints in Rio Grande Valley. The good news for both the Rockets, and Jones for that matter, is that the 21-year old rookie out of Kentucky is treating it like a learning experience and taking it all in stride.

“It’s been real beneficial,” Jones told HOOPSWORLD. “Just being able to get up and down, to get more experience and a chance to just get better has been great.”

Over the course of 11 games this season with the Rockets, Jones averaged just 3.1 points and 1.6 rebounds in limited minutes while looking every bit like a rookie in need of some polish. As a result, Houston has given Jones a direct message for his stints with the Vipors: make good use of increased playing time and develop your skills.

“Rebounding, scoring, defending and everything they want me to do when I get back [to the NBA],” Jones said of the Rockets’ expectations.

So far, Jones has done a solid job of trying to get better in each of those areas. In nine contests with the Vipors, Jones is averaging a double-double with 19.2 points and 11 boards per contest and his team was invited to the D-League Showcase in Reno, Nevada this past week.

“It’s very similar [to college],” Jones said. “Guys are going real hard, still fighting trying to get [to the NBA] and I see a lot of the same guys that I saw in college so there’s a lot of talented guys out there.”

In just a few weeks worth of action, Jones has established himself as one of the better players in the D-League, ranking among the league leaders in both rebounds per game and total double-doubles. Even though he’s not matching up against cream of the crop, NBA-level talent on a nightly basis in the D-League, it’s clear that Jones is taking the initiative to try to get better and make his way back to Houston.

“Yeah,” Jones told HOOPSWORLD as to whether or not he believes he can be an asset for the Rockets this season. “I know we’ve been doing very well right now, winning, so just whatever I can do to help”

Playing under Rockets’ head coach, and former Boston Celtics championship power forward, Kevin McHale has also benefitted the 6-foot-9, 250 pound Jones. Jones says McHale’s tutelage has played an important role early on in his development as an NBA four.

“It’s been good,” Jones said of learning from McHale. “Just to be able to get advice from a guy with experience, who knows the game from hands on experience and it’s just good to be able to have him as my coach.”

Despite a recent three-game skid, the Rockets have exceeded expectations this season featuring a 21-17 record – good for eighth in the brutally talented Western Conference. Second-year player Marcus Morris and third-year man Patrick Patterson have received the majority of run on the Rockets at the four positions, but it may not be wise to count Jones out just yet. As he showed last March in helping the Kentucky Wildcats to win a National Championship – and subsequently being drafted with the 18th overall pick – Jones has all the tools to succeed in the NBA.

The key will be how Jones responds to his stints in the D-League once he finds his way back onto the Rockets NBA roster. So far, Jones has shown that he’s willing to put in the time to be a better player but time will only tell if that will translate on an NBA floor.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/is-terrence-jones-nba-ready/

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NBA News 2012: Hornets’ Davis returns to practice

New Orleans Hornets logo used from 2008–present (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The No. 1 overall pick in the the 2012 draft, Davis’ rookie season was one of the most highly-anticipated in recent memory after he dominated in his freshman season at Kentucky, leading the Wildcats to the NCAA title and winning a host of individual honors.

Things haven’t quite gone as planned since draft night. Davis suffered an ankle sprain during tryouts for USA Basketball, although he went on to play in the London Olympics and win a gold medal.  After a promising preseason, Davis missed time with a mild concussion, thanks to an elbow from teammate Austin Rivers, before suffering a series of sprained ankles in November. The Hornets said in late-November that Davis would miss a few weeks, so at least he’s on schedule if he returns this week.

During his absence, Davis has fallen from the favorite’s position in 2012-13 Rookie of the Year race, as Blazers guard Damian Lillard and Bobcats forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist were named Rookies of the Month for October/November.

Davis, 19, has appeared in just six games for the Hornets, averaging 16.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. The Hornets have struggled without him and currently hold the worst record in the Western Conference at 5-14. With Davis, New Orleans was 2-4; without him, 3-10.

http://nba.si.com/2012/12/10/anthony-davis-ankle-injury-update-hornets/

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NBA News 2012: Is Rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Healthy?

Michael Gilchrist (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Many of you have expressed curiosity about Charlotte Bobcats rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist’s health, after he sat out all but one summer-league game in Las Vegas with a sore knee.

If Saturday is any indication, he’s just fine.

After initially indicating he would not play in Kentucky’s charity game (it’s still unclear why he said that to Kentucky media), Kidd-Gilchrist was pretty impressive Saturday: 32 points on 15-of-32 shooting from the field.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/is-rookie-michael-kidd-gilchrist-healthy/

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NBA News 2012: Kentucky sets record with 6 players drafted

Kentucky (Photo credit: lalunablanca)
The second round of Thursday’s NBA draft brought Kentucky a record for most players drafted in the first two rounds, but it was mostly about the foreign players, who were noticeably absent in the first round.

The national champion Wildcats had four players taken in the first round, then guard Doron Lamb was taken by the Bucks with the 12th pick of the second round and forward Darius Miller was selected four picks later by the New Orleans Hornets. That gave Kentucky six players taken in the two-round draft.

Only UNLV in 1977 had as many as six players taken in the draft, and the Runnin’ Rebels had only two players taken in the first two rounds of that 1977 draft, which included seven rounds of selections.

In the past three years, Kentucky had had 15 players drafted, including 10 in the first round.

Coach John Calipari acknowledged the showing in the draft helps recruiting.

“I don’t know what else you can add to our recruiting,” he told the Lexington Herald-Leader. “I just want to know, ‘How did you beat us on a kid?’”

The trend toward drafting foreign players hit a lull this year. The first foreign player was not taken until the 20th pick of the first round (Evan Fournier of France, to the Nuggets), and that’s the latest a player who did not attend an American college or high school was taken since 1995, when every player drafted in the first round attended an American college or high school.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-draft-round-2-kentucky-sets-record-with-six-players-drafted

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NBA News 2012: Terrence Jones autographs a pregnant Kentucky fan’s stomach

A pregnant woman (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
When Kentucky forward Terrence Jones held a meet-and-greet event on Sunday at a pharmacy in Russell Springs, Ky., the future first-round pick didn't just autograph photos or posters or T-shirts.

Jones also tweeted out photos of himself signing some less traditional items.

The photo Jones liked best was of himself signing a newborn baby's Kentucky basketball T-shirt while the child was wearing it. Jones' second favorite showed him autographing a pregnant woman's bare belly with a permanent Sharpie marker.

The media consensus is that Jones should reverse the order, and I'm in agreement. The pregnant woman is the clear photo of the day front runner.

Regardless of the order, however, the autograph signing proves one thing: When people from Kentucky claim they're a Wildcat fan for life, sometimes it dates back to even before they were born.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab-the-dagger/terrence-jones-autographs-pregnant-kentucky-fan-stomach-171448282.html

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NBA News 2012: Beating Kentucky

LOUISVILLE, KY - MARCH 15: Anthony Davis #23 and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist #14 of the Kentucky Wildcats position themselves for a rebound in the first half against Vinny Zollo #41 of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers during the second round of the 2012 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at KFC YUM! Center on March 15, 2012 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)
Kentucky has almost no defensive holes, and there’s no combination of players Louisville, Ohio State or Kansas can put on the floor that would give the Wildcats any matchup problems.

They have a 6’9, 245 power forward (Terrence Jones) who can defend any forward in the country and a 6’7 230 swingman (Michael Kidd-Gilchrist) who can defend any perimeter player. They can stick a 6’8, 235 combo forward (Darius Miller) or a 6’4, 210 combo guard (Doron Lamb) on the other team’s third, fourth or fifth option. Their worst athlete is their 6’2, 190 McDonald’s All-American PG (Marquis Teague).

Looming behind some combination of those five future NBA players is one of the most formidable shot-blockers in recent memory, an impossibly long 6’10, 220 forward who has the wingspan of Yao Ming and the foot-speed of a guard. Anthony Davis plays on an entirely different plane than nearly anyone else in the country. He’s the ultimate safety net, literally towering over the court.

On the off chance a college guard can beat the first Kentucky defender off the dribble, they end up in a vast forest of impenetrable limbs moving at impossibly fast speeds. In their Elite Eight victory over Baylor, the only way “the point guard” duo of Pierre Jackson and AJ Walton, who combined for five turnovers and eight personal fouls, were scoring in the half-court was through wildly hosting up pull-up 3-pointers. The two combined to shoot 9-23 from the field and 1-8 from deep.

However, poetically enough, Kentucky’s greatest strength is also their Achilles heel. While Davis’ historically unique combination of length and foot-speed makes him a devastating perimeter defender, that same lack of bulk leaves him vulnerable at the point of attack.

The common theme in their tough games was a 6’10+ center too big for Jones and too strong for Davis. Indiana’s Cody Zeller (6’11 230) was able to get Davis into foul trouble in both their match-ups while UNC had his brother Tyler (7’0 250). Tennessee had Jarnell Stokes, an athletic and fundamentally sound big man (6’9 260) who will end up being a better pro than either Thomas Robinson or Jared Sullinger, and Vanderbilt had Festus Ezeli (6’11 255).

Of course, there aren’t many players with that size in the world, much less in college basketball. When Kendall Marshall went down in the second round, effectively eliminating UNC, the only team in the field of 68 who can match up with Kentucky at every position, it removed the Wildcats’ biggest roadblock on their path to a national championship.

Even the most formidable offensive team will have nights where their jumper isn’t falling, while a zone team is always vulnerable to a hot-shooting opponent. A team stocked with NBA athletes at every position who play aggressive man-to-man defense isn’t going to have an off night.

Kentucky has multiple defensive answers for the top players on Louisville, Ohio State and Kansas. On the other end of the floor, none of those teams have defensive answers for all of Kentucky’s weapons. When the ball is tipped on Saturday night, that’s what is ultimately going to matter, not any type of beef between the coaching staffs or the fan bases.

http://basketball.realgm.com/article/220197

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NBA News 2011: UConn win over Kentucky

Image via Wikipedia
hen the options boil down to winning or heading home, nobody’s better than Kemba and Connecticut.

Kemba Walker scored 18 points Saturday night to lift UConn to its 10th straight victory since finishing off a .500 Big East regular season, a 56-55 win over cold-shooting Kentucky that moved the Huskies a victory away from their third, and most improbable, NCAA title.

The third-seeded Huskies—lowest seed left in a tournament that has been as unpredictable as any in history—will face No. 8 Butler, a 70-62 winner over 11th-seeded VCU in the first semifinal, on Monday.

“The guys decided they didn’t want to go home; this is too much fun,” UConn coach Jim Calhoun said.

But this win, which improved Calhoun to 5-1 in his four Final Four appearances, was not a work of art on either end.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recap?gid=201104020129

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NBA News 2011: Kentucky beats North Carolina

Image via Wikipedia
Kentucky spent 13 straight springs watching other schools play in the Final Four, a destination college basketball’s winningest program considers its birthright.

At most places, that’s hardly a drought.

In the Bluegrass, it’s a lifetime.

Brandon Knight scored 22 points and fourth-seeded Kentucky advanced to the Final Four for the first time since their 1998 national title with a 76-69 win over second-seeded North Carolina on Sunday in the East Regional final.

A season after falling a game short of the Final Four behind a roster filled with future NBA stars, the Wildcats are heading to the national semifinals for the 14th time behind the heady play of Knight and Harrellson’s emotional leadership.

Harrellson again held his own against North Carolina’s bigger, more heralded front line, scoring 12 points and grabbing eight rebounds.

Tyler Zeller led North Carolina with 21 points and nine rebounds and Harrison Barnes added 18 points, but the Tar Heels fell behind early and struggled to keep the hot-shooting Wildcats in check.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recap?gid=201103270413

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NBA News 2011: Kentucky eliminate No. 1 seed Ohio State

Image by Getty Images via @daylife
The Kentucky freshman guard added to the Buckeyes' March misery by knocking down his second winner of the postseason, a 15-footer with 5 seconds left to lift the Wildcats to a 62-60 victory on Friday in the East regional semifinals.

Kentucky (28-8) will face North Carolina on Sunday for a trip to the Final Four.

"When it comes to crunch time, couple seconds left, the game is on the line, I just try to make good decisions," Knight said.

Regardless of how the previous 39 minutes went. Knight missed seven of his first nine shots and spent most of the night getting hounded by Ohio State counterpart Aaron Craft.

It hardly mattered in the end.

Ohio State's Jon Diebler hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 60 with 21 seconds remaining, but rather than call timeout Kentucky coach John Calipari opted to trust his players.

Knight, who knocked down a winner in Kentucky's second-round victory over Princeton, drove to his right then hit a silky 15-foot jumper.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=310840194

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